There has been for quite a few years now of creating learning spaces that are more suited for 21st Century Learning. This conference is abuzz with presentations that Learning spaces really do make a difference. Stephen Harris  from Nothern Beaches Christian School is really out there as far as design. He points out that we should think of the spaces that inspire us and then fashion our schools to reflect these spaces. Check out the Scil website  http://scil.com.au/snapshot for a bit fo an idea. Basically the premise behind much of the talk about Learning Spaces is to go back to the Campfire model. ( Article written by Thornburg – Campfires in Cyberspace – http://www.tcpd.org/thornburg/handouts/campfires.pdf) . Backed with this Stephen Harris reported that students improve their learning outcomes when they are comfortble. Think about innovative and thriving companies like Microsoft / Google – I am told they have spaces and are given time to be creative and constructive in their thinking… Why not for our students? Back to Campfires philosphy – According to theorists,  we need spaces for direct explicit instruction (the campfire),   collaboration and shared thought and knowledge construction (the watering hole), a space to reflect, think and internalise (the cave) and a place to celebrate (the mountain top). Some of these need a rethinking of classroom design others can be achieved posters on wall, digital spaces to “display” and show the artefacts created. (there is even paint cassed ideaspaint which allows students to write on ANY surface – think of the collaboration possibilities if this happened at Joeys)  Again when I thinkof  how I learn – it is not sitting in rows and listening – it is discussing, exploring ideas, going off by myself then linking back to my mentors and peers. How do you learn? What spaces do you work in best?  Should it be different for  our students  in our classrooms? Makes you think!